New bill would block Eisenhower Memorial funding

A Utah congressman has introduced legislation to scrap the design for a memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Washington, citing objections from Ike’s family and the project’s cost.

Republican Rep. Rob Bishop introduced the bill Wednesday. He’s proposing a new design competition and seeks to eliminate $100 million in future funding for the current design by architect Frank Gehry.

Eisenhower’s family has called Gehry’s design “too extravagant.” Gehry proposed a memorial park with statues of the president and World War II hero, framed by large metal tapestries depicting Ike’s boyhood home in Kansas.